ERIC Number: EJ1007132
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Apr
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1750-9467
EISSN: N/A
Blood and Brain Glutamate Levels in Children with Autistic Disorder
Hassan, Tamer H.; Abdelrahman, Hadeel M.; Fattah, Nelly R. Abdel; El-Masry, Nagda M.; Hashim, Haitham M.; El-Gerby, Khaled M.; Fattah, Nermin R. Abdel
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, v7 n4 p541-548 Apr 2013
Despite of the great efforts that move forward to clarify the pathophysiologic mechanisms in autism, the cause of this disorder, however, remains largely unknown. There is an increasing body of literature concerning neurochemical contributions to the pathophysiology of autism. We aimed to determine blood and brain levels of glutamate in children with autistic disorder and to correlate between them. The study included 10 children with autism and 10 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Blood glutamate levels were measured using high performance liquid chromatography technique. Brain glutamate levels were measured using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The mean blood and brain glutamate levels were significantly higher in patients than controls (p less than 0.001). There was highly significant positive correlation between blood glutamate level and brain glutamate levels in the four tested brain regions (p less than 0.001). Glutamate plays an important role in the pathogenesis of autism. Further larger studies are required to support our findings. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Brain, Pathology, Autism, Correlation, Metabolism, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Children, Physiology, Neurological Impairments, Comparative Analysis
Elsevier. 3251 Riverport Lane, Maryland Heights, MO 63043. Tel: 800-325-4177; Tel: 314-447-8000; Fax: 314-447-8033; e-mail: JournalCustomerService-usa@elsevier.com; Web site: http://www.elsevier.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A